Russian tourists in the Maldives are threatened with arrest due to allegedly free hotels. Vacationers transfer money that does not reach hotels due to failures.
According to SHOT, St. Petersburg model Anastasia flew to the island with two friends on October 27. For a tour to the four-star OBLU Xperience Ailafushi, the girls paid more than 800 thousand rubles. The money reached Biblio-Globos, but did not reach the hotel. Upon arrival it became clear that even the boat to the island was not paid for. The travel agent helped solve the problem, and the girls arrived at the hotel.
The members rested for five days until the manager informed them that they had not been paid for their accommodation. The tour operator promised that the money would arrive soon, but the day before departure the hotel again demanded payment. The manager threatened the tourists with arrest, but after many arguments the girls were released, and they left the island on November 8.
According to other vacationers, tourists are increasingly searched and searched at Maldivian airports for debtors. Some are required to pay again for rooms they have already paid for. Massive chargebacks are also being reported by the Russian Travel Industry Association. Banks began rejecting Russia-related transfers around mid-October.